To Commend the Members and Staff of the Conference of Chief Justices Civil Justice Improvements Committee for Their Work to Produce Recommendations to Improve Civil Justice in State Courts as Set Forth in the “Call to Action: Achieving Civil Justice for A
CONFERENCE OF CHIEF JUSTICES
CONFERENCE OF STATE COURT ADMINISTRATORS
Resolution 7: Commending the Civil Justice Improvements Committee for Recommendations Set Forth in "Call to Action: Achieving Civil Justice for All"
WHEREAS, civil litigation in the United States is a matter of high importance to protect access to justice, public trust and confidence, and the constitutional role of the courts; and
WHEREAS, in 2013, the Conference of Chief Justices adopted Resolution 5 to establish a Civil Justice Improvements Committee charged with: (1) developing guidelines and best practices for civil litigation based upon evidence derived from state pilot projects, applicable research, implemented rule changes, and stakeholder input; and (2) making recommendations as necessary in the area of case flow management to improve the civil justice system in the state courts; and
WHEREAS, the Civil Justice Improvements Committee, after two years of intensive deliberations, made principled and practical recommendations to restore faith in the civil justice system by reducing cost and enhancing its fairness and efficiency; and
WHEREAS, the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators adopted Resolution 8 in 2016 to: (1) strongly endorse the recommendations of the Civil Justice Improvements Committee as set out in the Call to Action: Achieving Civil Justice for All; (2) encourage their members to consider the Call to Action as a worthy guide for their own state endeavors to improve the delivery of civil justice; and (3) encourage each state to develop and implement a civil justice improvements plan;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators express their thanks, gratitude, and admiration for the careful and thorough work of the Civil Justice Improvements Committee members and staff, whose names are listed in the attachment, for fulfilling the charge set forth in Resolution 5.
Adopted as proposed by the CCJ Civil Justice Improvements Committee at the CCJ/COSCA Annual Meeting on July 27, 2016.
Civil Justice Improvements Committee & Staff
Chair
Hon. Thomas A. Balmer
Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Oregon
Committee Members
Hon. Jerome Abrams
District Court Judge, Dakota County, Minnesota
Thomas Y. Allman
Executive Vice President & General Counsel (Ret.), BASF Corporation
Hon. Jennifer D. Bailey
Administrative Judge, Circuit Civil Division, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida
Daniel J. Becker
State Court Administrator, Utah Administrative Office of the Courts
Kim Brunner
EVP & General Counsel (Retired), State Farm Insurance Companies
Colin F. Campbell
Attorney, Osborn Maledon
Sherri R. Carter
Court Executive Officer/Clerk, Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County
David E. Christensen
Attorney, Christensen Law
Michael V. Ciresi
Attorney, Ciresi & Conlin, LLP
Thomas M. Falahee
Assistant General Counsel, Ford Motor Company
Hon. Daryl L. Hecht
Justice, Supreme Court of Iowa
Hon. Nathan L. Hecht
Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Texas
Hon. Steven M. Houran
Superior Court Judge, Strafford County, New Hampshire
Wallace B. Jefferson
Attorney, Alexander Dubose Jefferson & Townsend
Hon. Eileen A. Kato
District Court Judge, King County, Washington
David G. Leitch
Global General Counsel, Bank of America
Hannah Lieberman
Executive Director, Neighborhood Legal Services Program
Donna M. Melby
Attorney, Paul Hastings, LLP
Tommy D. Preston, Jr.
Director, National Strategy & Engagement, Boeing
Hon. Chase T. Rogers
Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Connecticut
Professor Linda Sandstrom Simard
Suffolk University Law School
Todd A. Smith
Attorney, Powers, Rogers, and Smith, PC
Larry D. Thompson
Attorney, LD Thompson Law Group
Ex-Officio
Mary McQueen
President, National Center for State Courts
Rebecca Love Kourlis
Executive Director, Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS)
Federal Courts Liaison
Hon. Richard W. Story
Judge, United States District Court, N.D. Georgia
ABA TIPS Section Liaison
Robert S. Peck
President, Center for Constitutional Litigation
Staff
Hon. Gregory E. Mize (Reporter)
Judicial Fellow, NCSC
Paula Hannaford-Agor
Director, Center for Jury Studies, NCSC
Scott E. Graves
Court Research Assistant, NCSC
Shelley Spacek Miller
Research Analyst, NCSC
Corina Gerety
Director of Research, IAALS
Brittany Kaufman
Director, Rule One Initiative, IAALS